


Something to say

by Raff94



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27961640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raff94/pseuds/Raff94
Summary: On the day after Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding, General Iroh has something to tell Korra.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone,
> 
> I remember when I was younger I used to love writing and a friend and I would do some fantasy stories for fun. Here is my first ever attempt to recapture that. All comments are appreciated!

The wood made a small creaking sound as Iroh opened the door, leaving the shared room in Air Temple Island with a sigh. His back still ached from his night spent there, coupled with a small headache product of last night’s festive occasion. He looked back at the room and silently cursed at the bed that was guilty of the former _._

_“I guess I’m glad I won’t be staying long”_ , he thought. This wasn’t his first time here but considering how his sleep went he sure hoped it was his last. “ _I suppose I may as well go for a walk and clear my head”_ , he rubbed his chin as he thought, feeling his newly-formed stubble.

As he walked through the endless corridors looking for the exit, Iroh tried to be as quiet as he could, given that it must still be pretty early in the morning, especially for people who’ve stayed as late as he had.

“ _That wedding was quite the experience alright”_ , he recalled the endless dancing, fireworks and theatrics that went on the day before. Some of the night was kind of a blur, probably due to the amount of alcohol involved, and it must have been around the time he started speaking less formally than he normally did that he had gone to bed. No doubt that his mother had seen to that. He smiled. Even at his age, Fire Lord Izumi could not take the chance that he might embarrass himself, her _and_ the nation. He knew she couldn´t risk any bad press coming from the Fire Nation, almost as a way to offset the fact that the same nation had almost succeeded in taking over the world a few decades ago. Having the prince and future Fire Lord be caught drunk on camera would have been a national disaster in her mind.

As he finally found the door that let outside he was surprised to see so many people already up. A large group was sitting out in the courtyard. They made no sound or acknowledgement that they had even heard him come out. In the front of the group was Master Tenzin, Avatar Aang’s son.

_“This must be the group of new airbenders”._ Just a few years ago, many non-benders around the world had suddenly started to airbend. Of course, the Fire Nation was no different and neither was the United Forces. He smirked remembering the time that a cadet had struck another during training. He had been getting picked on by an earthbender recruit and it looked like he had had enough. Only thing, he didn´t expect his punch to send the other man _flying_. It seemed surreal to see new airbenders just appear out of thin air, almost like the world was balancing itself out. And it was all thanks to one person, who is the one Iroh needed to speak to today, and the reason that he had accepted the invitation to stay here for the night instead of already being on his way back home.

_Korra_.

He remembered first meeting her, during his arrival to Republic City to help during the whole Equalist debacle. He remembered thinking he was prepared for anything, for a sea battle, for combat on land, even to challenge their leader to Agni Kai. After all, from what he had heard of the man, he wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to take out the future ruler of an entire nation. And yet, what actually happened was something that he couldn’t even believe at the time. First, having being met with no apparent resistance at sea, he had thought the revolutionaries had already been defeated and then, suddenly - explosions coming from the underside of the ships, as if they had crossed a tripwire. And before he could react, strange flying machines coming at them at great speed and firing at them relentlessly. It was something he hadn’t expected or experienced before, and it was likely the first time such things were ever used. He could only fight back using the methods he was so used to and trusted, and was soundly defeated.

He remembered falling in the water, no strength left - thinking it was all over. Decades of training his mind and body - remembering making his decision to abstain himself from taking the throne because he felt he needed to prove to himself that he could be an effective leader. Seeing his mother’s face, the rare glimpse of emotion she briefly allowed herself to show. The disappointment and yet pride in her son´s decision. All of these memories came flooding back as he accepted his fate… and then, the feeling of being pulled, seeing her as she took him back to the surface.

It went without saying, he had a personal debt to her and a score to settle with the Equalists. He needed to take them out before Bumi’s fleet arrived and was ambushed like his. It was a given that many of his men had been injured or killed in the battle, he couldn’t allow it to have been in vain.

Then, after the Equalist threat had been dealt with, Korra came to him a second time. This time to ask for the United Forces’ help on a civil war that had begun between the Northern and Southern Tribes. This was out of United Forces jurisdiction _and_ business. He was sure that Raiko would have a fit if he agreed to intervene, but he _had_ to. Not only to thank her for saving his life, but to show that he was willing and able to aid the Avatar if the need came. What better way to prove to himself and the world that the future Fire Lord was ready. It would even earn Grandfather’s approval, he hoped. And besides, something about Korra made him want to help, regardless of duty. He could tell that she was strong, fierce and most of all _selfless_. However, fate went another way, the president had somehow found out and he was forced to retract his help. _She_ , of course, went on to save Republic City and settle the conflict with the tribes.

What happened next only came to him by word of mouth and rumors. It was soon after people all over the world had started showing use of airbending. It seemed like a group of terrorists, the same ones that had assassinated the Queen of Ba Sing Se, had injured Korra. _Badly_. There were no official reports or newspaper stories of the matter, but the Avatar _had_ suddenly disappeared from the public eye. Iroh could only hope that she was out on some secret mission or in some kind of Avatar training. The other alternative was too hard to imagine.

Finally, there was Kuvira. The Earth Kingdom’s newly unelected tyrant. It seemed that taking over territory in her homeland was not enough. She was after Republic City as well. By that time, Korra had returned after an almost three year absence. Whatever she had been going through seemed to not have affected her at all as she went see him soon before the attack was about to take place. A relief washed over him as she greeted him, with her ever-caring smile but soon enough, that relief turned into shock and disbelief. No doubt this is what Korra had come to warn him about, but the look on her face showed that she didn´t expect it to arrive so soon and for the second time in his military career, Iroh felt utterly unprepared for what was going to happen.

After Kuvira made a display of her power by casually destroying what seemed, based on the direction of the shots fired, some United Forces warships, his fear only increased. He could feel himself shaking and sweating profusely, waiting for her next move. If she could destroy warships so casually, what hope did _they_ have? He turned to see his men, who looked as hopeless and had all but given up. But, as he looked at Korra, he saw something. She had fear, yes, but at the same time there was a determination and peace in her eyes. Something that showed him that in the time since they’d last seen each other, she had not only grown stronger but wiser too. As the Avatar, he could only imagine, she had to put her personal feelings aside to fulfill her duty to the world. Cast aside any doubts or fears, they would only hold her back, after all – she had a responsibility. And that was _it_ , he understood now. This is the moment he repayed her in kind. Her strength showed him what he had to do – lead these men to defend their home, as she did the entire world. It may mean their lives, but what better way than by defending their homes, and their _honor_?

Sure enough, the president did not see things his way. He surrendered the city to this tyrant almost as quick as his resolve had come. If Iroh disobeyed, it may escalate the situation and cause Kuvira to lash out, putting innocent people who may not have yet evacuated. “ _Damn it!”_ he wished he could slam his fist on that man, but the radio transmitter would have to do. He turned to her, she was already leaving.

“Korra, find a way to stop that thing.” As soon as she was gone, he firebent at the radio, watching it as the embers melted the metal and plastic. He was going to have to make a serious decision soon.

\---

_“And I have”_ , he thought as he walked towards the meditating airbenders, making sure to walk around them so as to not disturb. Master Tenzin opened his eyes as he felt his presence coming closer. He motioned a hand up, sensing that some of his students had opened their eyes, expecting him to stop the meditating session. Iroh couldn’t imagine sitting down for such a long time only breathing, it would probably drive him mad, he mused for a moment.

“General Iroh, I trust you slept well.” Suddenly, the pain was back and so were the memories of a sleepless night, almost like a self-response to that comment.

“Actually, it’s just Iroh now. I quit the United Forces.” He cringed, it still felt surreal saying that.

“Oh, I hadn’t heard” Tenzin looked slightly taken aback by the news, which almost reminded him of how his mother reacted. And like her, his eyes expressed understanding. “Is it safe to assume you’ll be returning to the Fire Nation, then?”

“Yes, but first I need to speak to Korra”

Tenzin rubbed his beard in contemplation. “I believe I saw Korra earlier this morning. She was heading out towards the back on the other side of the island, near the training area. That’s where she usually has her meditation.”

“Then I’ll head there, thank you Master Tenzin”

Tenzin only nodded, sitting back down and taking on his meditation pose once again.

-CONTINUED IN NEXT CHAPTER-


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, even though I'm stuck at home all day I haven't become more productive. In fact, I think it has made my procrastination even worse haha.  
> Anyway, this was my first ever story here and the first time I've picked up writing in many years, so I'm sure it was quite a mess. Still, thank you for taking the time to read this. I'm also very thankful for your kudos and thoughts! I'll try posting again soon!

_“…so, Korra… what I wanted to say is that I’m sorry for not being there when you needed my help and I want you to know that from now on I am ready to be whenever you require me for battle…”_

Iroh paused.

_“No, no, sounds too formal. Like I was talking to my troops. We’re friends, right?”_

Iroh mused while making his way to where Tenzin pointed out.

_“Hello, Iroh here. So… I know your firebending’s good, but can you do THIS!”_

Maybe showing her some firebending skills he’s picked up would rouse her interest. Iroh’s never seen her lightingbend before, so that’s something he could maybe teach her. Or maybe how to fly using fire! She’d love that!

_“… So, anyway. I think it’s time I joined your group and helped you bring balance to the world.”_

That’d work, right?

“Ugh…”

He suddenly felt like he was a teenager again, wanting to ask a pretty girl out - or a young man, questioning himself whether or not he should join the United Forces and leaving aside his heritage. In those times, he always went to Grandfather Zuko for advice. The previous Fire Lord had always a quick wit and a metaphor for any circumstance and Iroh always wondered how he was able to come up with them so fast. Unlike his grandfather, Iroh always felt the need to plan everything out meticulously far in advance, even conversations he had to have.

He was so deep into his thoughts that he didn’t notice the man right in front of him until they bumped into each other.

“Oh! Sorry, didn’t see you there. Hey! It’s General Iroh!”

“Ah, Bolin! Hello! Sorry, I wasn’t seeing where I’m going”. Despite the years, Bolin seemed the exact same as when he first met him. Both physically and in personality.

“Yeah, me neither. Say, you looking for Pabu too?”

“Ehhh, no. I’m actually looking for Korra. She’s meditating around here.”

“Korra? I saw her leave the house a while back, I thought she wasn’t here anymore.”

Bolin put on a pensive face.

“Maybe it was to meditate, but then again, she was taking a backpack, so I figured she was going somewhere.”

“Master Tenzin said she was still here. I hope she hasn’t left yet. I really need to talk to her”.

“Well, I’ll go with you! We’ll look for Pabu while we’re at it, too!”

“No! Well, not yet. I have to talk to her privately first. You know, official matters…”. He didn’t want anyone to know he had left the Forces yet, at least not until it was too obvious to avoid. He’d rather do this quietly and avoid the massive media storm as much as he could. Surely Tenzin wouldn’t go around telling people, Bolin however…

“Yeah, yeah! I totally get it! You know, you sound just like Mako whenever he’s about to do some police operation, although I usually bug him until he tells me. And now that he’s working for Prince Wu, pretty much everything with that guy has to be kept secret, like how he decided to step down! Mfff! I probably shouldn’t have said that!”. He quickly put both his hands on his mouth to stop himself from talking.

Funny, it seems like the Prince of Ba Sing Se and he are more alike than he thought.

“Anyway, I’ll keep looking for Pabu. Go find Korra, and then let’s all go have breakfast together! There’s this restaurant I love nearby. If it hasn’t been destroyed by Kuvira’s mech, I’m sure you’ll love it too!”. And with that, he strolled off.

\---

In short time, Iroh reached the courtyard. It was a large place, he could see a big area of what seemed like many wooden slabs, all placed vertically and close around each other, leaving barely any place to move between them. Probably some kind of airbending training. Behind it, a small terrace overlooking the sea. It was its own, isolated area.

_“This must be where Korra meditates, but there’s no one here.”_

Iroh almost felt like it had been too late, but then he saw a small bag leaning against one of the pillars holding the gazebo. This must be Korra’s – which means she’s still here. He didn’t have to look around long because he soon heard noises coming from somewhere nearby. They sounded muffled, and almost like a struggle. Iroh’s first thought was that Korra had been attacked, maybe a surprise attack while she was meditating. He raised his fist, ready to shoot a burst of fire at whatever threat he spotted. Then, the noises changed. Started to sound like voices, whispering. Then, a sound almost like giggling. He lowered his hand and headed to where it was coming from.

On the edge of the terrace, there seemed to be a path. It went down a small ways to a clearing, under the surface and totally invisible except from where he was standing. The pathway was slim and at the end, Iroh could make out the entrance to what seemed to be a cave. Strange, this was the first time he had heard of a cave in Air Temple Island and Tenzin had never mentioned one. Not only that, but the way the pathway seemed looked unnatural to him, artificial - like it didn’t belong with the natural formation of the rock there. He’s seen similar many times and it was obvious to him that this had been earthbent – recently. Iroh raised his hand again and prepared to go down. Then, two figures emerged from the cave. He instinctively hid under a bush and peered out in order to assess the situation better.

The figures were a little far, but the blue top gave away that one of them was Korra. The other one… not sure. They were very close to each other, maybe the other person was holding Korra down. Then again, it doesn’t seem like she’s struggling at all. They separated a bit and now it’s clear that what they’re doing is holding hands. Not only that, a soft breeze passed by and the other person’s long, flowing black hair made Iroh recognize her immediately. This is Asami Sato, heiress of Future Industries and one of Korra’s friends. So, this was just a false alarm after all.

He was about to stand and make his presence known, but then the two got closer to each other. Iroh felt a bead of sweat trickle down his face as soon he realized that what he thought was an innocent embrace was actually a shared passionate kiss.

\---

This was… unexpected to say the least.

Before he could fully register what was happening, Iroh realized the situation in which he found himself. Gawking at two lovers while hiding in a bush – how unbecoming of the General of the United Forces, of the future Fire Lord! He could already imagine what his mother think.

In any case, he has to figure how to get out of this mess with his honor still intact. Korra and Asami now seem to be talking, but it’s only a matter of time before they make their way back. Perhaps if he moves slowly and carefully, he can…

“General Iroh? Is that you?”

Iroh’s body turned colder than the time he fought against the leader of the Ice Dragons terrorist group. He slowly turned towards the voice.

It’s Bolin, maybe he could play this off somehow.

“Look! I found Pabu!”, he shouted as the playful ferret scurried up his arm and stood on top of his head, striking a pose of celebration. 

Iroh could only answer by rapidly pressing his finger to his mouth and praying to the spirits Bolin would get it.

“Uhh… why are you hiding in a bush? Did you find Korra?”

He violently shook his head, pushing his finger tighter against his mouth, as if that could convey the message better.

“Ohh! Ohh! I’ll help!”

Realizing the commotion might have alerted the girls, Iroh turned to them as fast as he could, more nervous than ever. To his relief, they were back to kissing and were none the wiser. However, he was not sure if anyone other than him knew of this new development so before Bolin could take another step, Iroh raised his arm and held out his palm, his face now sweating bullets.

Bolin stopped in his tracks, his face confused but thankfully, not showing any suspicion. Iroh gave a sigh of relief and, making doubly sure the girls were still having at it, crawled out of the bush and towards his clueless friend.

“So… what was that about?” Bolin was now holding Pabu, the ferret happily cuddling against his arms.

“Oh, yeah… well, I was… you know… scouting”. Iroh got up, panting despite the lack of any real danger.

_“Spirits, that was a lousy excuse.”_

Bolin looked confused. “Scouting? For what?”

“You know… for any _tresspassers_.” He took a second to calm down before explaining himself - “Yeah! For all we know, there may still be some Kuvira loyalists out there just waiting for the right time to attack! I know Korra’s strong, but even she can be taken by a surprise attack – I remember she told me she once had been hit by a tranquilizer dart and was out cold for a while. And this island isn’t exactly the most secure place to be! If we were attacked here, the only ways to escape are boats or sky bison! Boats aren’t exactly metalbending-proof, and sky bison can probably be scared off quite quickly”.

Iroh crossed his arms, he surprised even himself with how he was able to make such a thing up on the fly. Maybe he was more like Grandfather Zuko than he thought.

Bolin rubbed his temple, contemplating his answer. “Well, we still have the airbenders and Master Tenzin! They wouldn’t allow anyone to attack Korra!”

“Last time I saw Master Tenzin and his students, they were meditating. Easy target for a surprise assault if you ask me”. Bolin settled back in thought and Iroh hoped that this was enough of an explanation and could excuse himself.

After a while, the young earthbender’s smile came back.

“You know what, you’re right! This island is a deathtrap just waiting to happen! We have to warn Master Tenzin, train the bison to attack intruders… Ohh! and ask Asami to make metalbending proof boats! We’re geniuses! I gotta find her! I think I saw her talking to Korra when she left the house…” Bolin started shuffling towards Korra’s meditation spot.

“Bolin wait!” Iroh grabbed his shirt and Pabu jumped out of his arms in surprise. “Uhhh… there’s no hurry, we can talk to them later.” He tried to put on his most convincing smile.

“But you said-”

“I already scoped the place out, remember? There’s no threat here, we’re fine.”

“The sooner we talk to them, the sooner we can get the preparations ready! Just watch, we’ll turn this island into a fortress!”

There was a small rumbling of the ground, almost like…

Iroh put his arm around Bolin and started to take him away from the scene.

“You know, I’m hungry! Why don’t we go to that restaurant you told me about? My treat!”

“Wow, okay!” Bolin’s face lit up “I can already taste the scrambled toad-chicken eggs and crispy pig-lizard bacon! The airbender’s vegetarian diet just doesn’t sit right with me, you know?”

\---

Iroh paced faster to take Bolin out of there as soon as possible while he happily rambled on about all his favorite dishes. His thoughts went back to what he saw while hiding in the bush. So… Korra and miss Sato, huh? If memory serves, he knows she had been leading the reconstruction efforts in Republic City while the Avatar was away healing. He even recalls seeing her in the paper – at the inauguration of the Avatar Korra Park. It was front-page news and the picture was her and President Raiko at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, she even gave a speech about her friend’s many heroics if he remembers right. It’s clear to him now how much she must have missed her all this time, and she needs her now more than ever - she’s recently lost the last member of her family.

“I’m glad they found each other.”

“What’s that? You say something?”. Iroh was so in his thoughts that he forgot he was still with Bolin. At this point, they’d almost reached the courtyard where Master Tenzin and the airbenders were meditating at. Although, now it was empty – they’re probably off training or studying some Guru or something.

“Nothing, I was just thinking about Korra”.

“Oh yeah, you said you had to talk to her. Did you tell her what you needed to?”

Thanks to this revelation, what he wanted to say to Korra was pushed to the back of his mind. It truly was important to him, her answer would help him sort out what to do with his life now that he was out of the United Forces. Should he lend his skills to helping her bring balance to the world? Or should he go back home and return to his duty as the Fire Nation’s prince? What exactly did destiny have in store for him? He remembered his grandfather always told him that he should make his own destiny, not just accept what others tell him it is. Then again, seeing her and Asami, it’s not something he can interrupt – even if his future relies on it. Iroh’s silence gave Bolin his answer.

“Wasn’t it important?”

Iroh smiled.

“Nah, it can wait.”


End file.
